


Compass of His Heart

by sophh



Series: 31 Days of Writing Challenge [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU i guess?, Emma and Hook are married so it would have to be after the show, F/M, I'm just gonna call this an epilogue of sorts, Mostly Fluff, birthday present gone wrong, captainswan - Freeform, otherwise I have no idea where it fits in the timeline of the show oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26805337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophh/pseuds/sophh
Summary: When Killian's reaction to his birthday present isn't quite what she had hoped, Emma worries that she'll never get her happy ending.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Series: 31 Days of Writing Challenge [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945717
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25
Collections: 31 Days of Writing Challenge - Fall 2020





	Compass of His Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 31 Days of Writing Challenge, October 3rd: write for a fandom you love but never write for.

Killian stared down at the tickets in his hand, a dismayed look on his face. "Let me get this straight, Swan," he said slowly. "You want us to go on this—this couple's cruise thing together?"

"It's on the ocean!" Emma exclaimed. Disappointed in his reaction, she gave him a little nudge. "Come on, Killian, I thought you loved the sea." 

"I do," Killian replied, "when _I'm_ the captain of the ship. I'm not about to let someone else steer the bloody thing, am I?"

Emma's face fell. She wasn't normally the type to do overly romantic things like couple's cruises, but this one had sounded so fun, and it would give her husband a taste of the sea that he so dearly missed. "You're right. It was a stupid idea." 

"No, no, it was a great idea, love," Killian rushed to say. "I just...I just don't think cruises are for me." 

"Right, no, I get it," Emma said quickly. "Um, I'm actually late to meet my mom at Granny's, so... I'll catch you later?" She gave Killian a peck on the lips and hurried out the door before he could call her back. 

***

"He hated it, Mom," Emma wailed, sinking into a booth at Granny's. 

"Slow down, Emma," Mary Margaret said, pulling her into an awkward sideways hug. "Who hated what?"

"Killian! He hated the couple's cruise tickets I got him for his birthday!" Emma rested her head in her arms and sighed. Sometimes—now being one of those moments—she wondered if she just wasn't cut out for a lasting relationship. "I thought he'd be glad to be out on the water for a whole week, but I guess not." 

"Hey," Mary Margaret said soothingly, rubbing circles into Emma's back, "don't feel bad. It was a wonderfully thoughtful gift. I'm sure Killian appreciated the sentiment."

"Maybe." Emma couldn't help but sound glum. "I don't even know if he appreciated it or not. I kind of left before he had a chance to say much of, well, anything." 

Mary Margaret waved her hands, apparently unconcerned by this confession. "That's okay. Maybe he's on his way here right now, hoping to make everything hunky-dory again!"

"Mom, not every love story works out like yours and Dad's did," Emma said dryly. "I'm starting to think that this whole happily ever after thing isn't for me." 

"Well, that's just ridiculous," her mother told her. "You know what you need?" 

"A couple of vodka shots and a good mystery?" Emma muttered. 

"A nice big slice of Granny's apple pie!" Mary Margaret said excitedly. 

"Ooookay. Mom, I love you, but pie is not going to fix this," Emma said, pulling away from the other woman.

"Sure it is!" Mary Margaret waved at the diner's proprietor, who arrived at the table moments later. 

"Mary Margaret, Emma, what can I get you?"

"She'll have a slice of the apple pie," Mary Margaret said, giggling at Emma's frantic gestures to make her stop talking. 

Emma glared at her mother. The last thing she wanted was to gorge herself on pie, delicious or not. Turning back to Granny, she said, "No, Granny, it's fine. Really. No pie for me." 

"Oh, nonsense!" the old woman exclaimed. "You could use a little more meat on those bones, dear." With that, she bustled away, stopping only to clear away an empty glass at the bar. 

"Oh my God," Emma moaned, putting her head in her hands. "Why can't everyone just mind their own business in this stupid town?" 

Mary Margaret patted her arm. "It's just part of the charm of living in a place where everyone knows each other, Emma." 

Emma let out a groan at that. 

***

"How was Granny's?" Killian asked as soon as Emma walked through the door. 

"Uh, it was...fine," Emma said, dropping her keys on the table by the front door. Killian raised an eyebrow at her, which only made her feel defensive. "What? You don't believe me?"

"Well, with the state you were in when you left—"

"The state I was—I wasn't in a _state_ , Killian!" Emma exploded. "It's fine that you didn't like the cruise tickets!"

"You know, love, you keep saying that word, 'fine,' but I don't think it really is," Killian said, his annoying knack for picking up on her emotions showing itself once again. "It feels like you're upset with me, and you're just _saying_ that it's fine so that I won't push you too hard." 

Emma crossed her arms. "I'm not _upset_. I'm a big girl—I can handle you not liking my present." 

Killian raised his hook. "Hang on a minute, Swan, I never said anything about not liking it."

"You might as well have," Emma huffed.

Killian took a step closer to her. "Look, I know it must have seemed like I was being ungrateful when I said that I didn't want to go on the cruise, but I wasn't completely honest about _why_ I didn't want to go. Emma, the truth is, I didn't want a big gift like that because...well, everything I could ever need or want is right here, in Storybrooke." 

Emma stared at him for a moment, shocked into silence. Finally, she found her voice and whispered, "Killian…"

"I mean it, love," Killian said, scooping her into his arms. "You and Henry are the best things that ever happened to me." 

Emma laughed, her eyes filling with tears of joy that she hastened to wipe away on her husband's shirt. "Yeah, yeah. I love you too, okay?"

"Aye," Killian agreed, pulling her in for a kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been dying to write for the OUAT fandom ever since I finally finished the series this past summer! This was a blast to write, and I hope I (mostly) did the characters justice.


End file.
